Audiobooks are a great way to 'read'

The thing about audiobooks is that the measure of a good one isn’t just about the content. A good audiobook needs to have a great narrator and sometimes even involves some sound effects. The quality of the jingle before and after the narration should also be weighed in.

I’m big into audiobooks because I spend enough time in my car to get tired of the same songs playing on the top 40 stations. Audiobooks are passive consumption, but still considered reading. Pro tip: audiobooks count toward your reading log in The Library’s Summer Reading Challenge. If you haven’t signed up yet, there is still time to qualify for prizes for yourself and your kids at ebonnerlibrary.beanstack.org.

Knowing that listening to an audiobook constitutes reading is one thing. Knowing which audiobooks to listen to is another. When I have reader’s block, I look to recommended reading lists. According to Good Housekeeping online magazine, the following are the top 10 best audiobook reads of summer 2019:

- The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (okay, that’s not just one book, but you get the point)

- “Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders

- “Lock In” by John Scalzi

- “Stone Mattress” by Margaret Atwood

- “Bird Box” by Josh Malerman

- “Becoming” by Michelle Obama

- “A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin

- “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee (which is on every reading list)

- “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman

- “Bad Blood” by John Carreyrou

You can download audiobooks from the Digital Library at ebonnerlibrary.org from Hoopla, RB Digital, Overdrive, and Freegal. My phone is always loaded with a good audiobook for the drive to work. It’s so easy and the selection is incredible. There are never late fees because digital audiobooks check themselves back in. I think audiobooks are the best thing to come along since pop music. Free and easy audiobooks from the Digital Library are even better.

East Bonner County Library District

schedule

The following classes and events take place at the East Bonner County Library District Sand-point Branch, 1407 Cedar St. unless otherwise indicated. The monthly calendar can be viewed at ebonnerlibrary.org.

- Today-Sunday, July 14 — Teen Lounge closed. Information: 208-263-6930.

- Fridays — Explore virtual reality (reserve sessions), 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; reserve a 15-minute session in the VR room at ebonnerlibrary.org/Events on the event listing. Information: Contact the Tech Desk 208-263-6930, ext.1251.

- Saturdays — Bookmobile at Farmer’s Market, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Farmin Park. Browse books, movies, and music. Sign up for a library card. Pick up holds (reserved materials) or return items. Chat with Michelle, our friendly bookmobile driver. Bookmobile will be at the Farmer’s Market every Saturday through the season. Information: 208-290-3622.

- Saturdays — Little Mozarts Music Class, 10:30 a.m., a music class series at The Library from the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint. Program runs through Aug. 3. Information: 208-263-6930, ext. 1211.

- Saturdays — Explore Virtual Reality (reserve sessions), 2-4 p.m. Reserve a 15-minute session in the new VR room at ebonnerlibrary.org/Events on the event listing. Information: Contact the Tech Desk, 208-263-6930, ext.1251.

- Tuesdays — Mother Goose, 10 a.m., in Karen’s Room. Stories and singing for babies and toddlers 0-3 years old and their caregivers with stay & play until 10:40 a.m. Information: 208-263-6930, ext. 1211; or email suzanne@ebonnerlibrary.org.

- Tuesdays — Family Story Time, 11 a.m. in Karen’s Room. Stories and crafts for kids and their caregivers. Information: 208-263-6930, ext. 1211; or suzanne@ebonnerlibrary.org.

- Tuesdays — Clark Fork Mother Goose, 10 a.m., Clark Fork branch library. Stories, rhymes and music for babies and toddlers and their caregivers followed by 20 minutes of play times. Information: 208-266-1321.

- Tuesdays — Storytime, 11 a.m., Clark Fork branch library. Stories, music, and crafts geared to ages 3-8. All welcome. Information: 208-266-1321.

- Tuesdays — Explore virtual reality (drop-in sessions), 3-6 p.m., drop-in 15-minute sessions. First come, first served. All ages welcome. Under 18 must accompany parent consent form. Youth under 10 years old must be accompanied by parent/legal guardian. Information: Contact the Tech Desk 208-263-6930, ext.1251.

- Tuesdays — Teen Role Playing Games, 3:30-5 p.m. in Laura Moore Cunningham Community Room A. Teens play Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and other role playing games. Information: 208-263-6930, ext. 1245; or email kimber@ebonnerlibrary.org.

- Wednesday, July 17 — Galaxy T-shirts, 2 p.m., Clark Fork branch library; paint galaxy art on a T-shirt, yours to take home for free! Part of the 2019 Summer Reading Challenge “A Universe of Stories.” Information: 207-266-1321.

- Wednesday, July 17 — Science Café: Sleuthing Garden and Landscape Problems, 5:30 p.m., Community Room B. Bring your samples of sick plants and work in teams to figure out what is hurting your trees, shrubs, flowers or vegetables. This hands-on workshop will help you learn to identify what is causing your plants to feel under the weather, and the best remedy to nurse them back to health. Bring in fresh plant samples that are partially-damaged but not dead, pictures and as much information as you can including when the problem started and how it progressed. We will show you how to solve the problem and also other problems that may arise in your garden in the future. Information; 265-2665.

- Thursday, July 18 — Thursdays in the Garden,10 a.m., in The Library Garden. Learn about planting, growing, and harvesting. Enjoy a different project theme each week such as insect safari, scavenger hunt, wind chimes, and garden wildlife habitat houses. Geared to ages 6-9 and families. Learn how to qualify for a metal watering can! Information: 208-263-6930, ext. 1211; or suzanne@ebonnerlibrary.org.

- StoryWalk — Pages from a children’s book are posted along a trail for a fun, family experience. StoryWalk books will be updated at various times during the summer with titles based on the 2019 Summer Reading theme, “Universe of Stories.” Read, connect, and get outside at a StoryWalk, a partnership of The Library, Kaniksu Land Trust, city of Dover, and city of Ponderay. For more information, visit Facebook.com/BonnerStoryWalk.

Marcy Timblin is in charge of public relations, marketing & community development for the East Bonner County Library District. She can be reached at 208-208- 208-208-263-6930, ext. 1204.